Written in Winter
by Arenna Dolago
Summary: "Elsa." An unfamiliar voice called her name. "What are you so afraid of?" "Who are you?" "You don't have to be alone, Elsa." (Frozen/Tangled/Rise of the Guardians/Brave/How to Train You're Dragon)
1. Prologue

Words echoed through her mind, taunting her and ushering her forward. She didn't belong there, and she never had. Her sister knew it, her kingdom knew it, and most of all; she knew it. There had been a time when she thought that maybe she had been wrong about herself, that she could change. It was a dream rooted in false hope. Since returning to Arendelle the darkness inside of her had only grown stronger, and darkness is not a thing easily concealed. That villager had been the breaking point; the cold skin, the black hair slowly fading to white, the expression of disbelief burning itself into her memory. That face haunted her, and accident or not, that face would continue to haunt her. She was not meant to be surrounded by people who loved her and believed in her, no matter how long she had been wishing for it to be so. Her entire life was full of nothing but unanswered questions, and it had finally come to a point where she was not certain what was reality and what was a lie. There was only one thing the Queen of Arendelle knew for certain. She was meant to be alone.

It was night when she set out, with only the stars as her companions. She took off running, but eventually slowed to a brisk walk as she reached the outer edges of her territory. She was not fit to be Queen. Raising an arm, she took the crown off her head and threw it behind her in one fluid motion. After that she only paused to erase her footsteps. This time she had to be sure she would not be followed. The familiarity of the situation astounded her, and yet she couldn't believe how different the circumstances had become. She tried to leave her memories with the wind, but one thought kept pushing her. It was the same thought that had ruined her only a year before, spoken by the one person in the world she truly loved. It had driven her to insanity in mere seconds, all control escaping from her body, and for one entire year those words plagued her mind and caused the darkness to grow.

_"Elsa, please, I can't live like this anymore!" Anna's eyes were brimming with tears as she gripped the glove belonging to her sister, as if she believed her hold on the glove would serve as a tight hold on Elsa._

_There were tears in the Queen's eyes as well, as the entirety of the only world she had ever known shattered to pieces. 'Conceal, don't feel.' She chided herself. "Then leave."_

_The horrified expression on Anna's face proved to her that she had said the wrong, yet somehow right, thing. The Queen of Arendelle turned away before she could see the horror on her sister's face turn to anger._

_"What did I ever do to you?" Her voice raised considerably. Several nobles turned at stared at the unfolding scene._

_Elsa knew she had to leave. "Enough, Anna."_

_"No! Why? Why do you shut me out? W-why do you shut the world out? What are you so afraid of?"_

_That was it. "I said ENOUGH!" Everything was over. She left._

All this time, and she had never forgotten. "Get a hold of yourself. You're being ridiculous." She took a deep breath, and continued to trudge on. "What are you so afraid of…" She laughed quietly. "What does she know?"

"Elsa." An unfamiliar voice called her name. "What are you so afraid of?"

She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. Elsa desperately turned her head from side to side, looking for the source of that cruel voice. "Who said that? Who are you?"

She heard a short laugh and began to back away slowly.

"What is the Queen of Arendelle doing out alone at night?"

"I want to be alone." She mentally reprimanded herself. Her voice was so shaky even she didn't believe herself. "Leave me alone."

She could almost feel the presence smirk. "You want to be alone? Fine. Be alone."

"Wait!" Elsa yelled out before she could stop herself. "Who are you?"

For a moment, everything was silent. She couldn't hear anything but the sounds of her own breathing. She frantically looked around once more, hoping whoever was there hadn't left. Something about that voice had been almost enticing. Suddenly, her eyes caught movement to the left of her and a tall man stepped out of the shadows.

"You don't have to be alone, Elsa."


	2. Chapter One: Anna

"Kristoff!" The princess yelled out, running through the halls of the castle. "Kristoff! Where are you?" She continued to run, worry plaguing her better judgement. She knew if she had Elsa's noble way, she wouldn't have made a big scene of her discovery, and would rather approach those in need in a dignified and subtle manner. However, she was not her sister.

"Anna?" Kristoff, and several other nobles looked up from the breakfast table. Granted, many of them did not think much of this as Anna had been known to be a tad dramatic from time to time.

"I need to talk to you. Privately." The words were short and frank. Her fiance rose from the chair he had been occupying and quickly walked towards her. He knew her well enough to know when something was truly wrong. They stepped out into the hallway and Anna silently dragged him to the large bedroom the Queen usually occupied.

She turned to him. "What do you see?"

"I see a door."

The princess made a big show of rolling her eyes. "Open it."

He opened the door with caution, slightly afraid Elsa would be standing behind it with a snowball. He shivered. It wouldn't be the first time that happened. Instead what he found was nothing. Aside from the furniture, that is. The Queen's bed was neatly made and the curtains lay closed. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"It's empty." He said finally.

"Exactly."

"Anna, I don't understand."

She sighed loudly and fell into a heap on the floor. "She's not here, Kristoff. She's not in the village, she's not in the castle, and she's not in her bedroom."

"Well, what do you think that means?" He was perplexed. "Did she run away?"

"No!" Anna would not have it. "She was happy here. She was loved. Why would she leave that? There's only one explanation for it."

The princess held out a small package loosely wrapped in a silk cloth. Kristoff delicately unwrapped the cloth, revealing a shining crown belonging to none other than the Queen of Arendelle.

"What does that mean?" He picked up Elsa's crown and inspected it.

Anna shrugged. "A few workers found it outside. No footprints were found by it, which can only mean one thing. Elsa was kidnapped. And I intend to find her."

The pair let a silence sink between them. The man sank to the floor next to Anna, not believing what he was hearing. Ever since Elsa had almost been the death of his fiance a year ago, there had been a rift between the Queen and the ice harvester. And yet it seemed that once more the mysterious Queen would endanger the life of Anna once again. "I won't let you go alone."

Anna wasn't oblivious to the shaky relationship between her fiance and her sister. She had expected this reaction from him, and was well prepared for it. "I never planned on going alone. I would like you to come with me, of course, but if you don't want to I understand. I sent word to my cousin and her husband of Elsa's kidnapping. They both agreed to help find her. They'll arrive in a week's time."

Kristoff laughed softly. He should've known Anna would be well prepared for whatever he threw at her. "Where do you think we should look?"

"We?" Anna smiled and punched his shoulder. "As in big, tough mountain man is agreeing to help?" His scowl made Anna giggle, but the sound of Elsa's crown hitting the floor brought her back to reality. Kristoff must have dropped it when she had punched him. "When I racked my brain for the enemies of Arendelle, only one seemed capable of pulling this off. The thing that struck me as most unusual was the lack of footsteps."

Kristoff was starting to understand where this was going. "So it had to be someone with means to travel by air, without touching the ground. That's the only way to keep up such a clean getaway."

"Exactly! And there is only one place I can think of with means of travel like that. Kristoff, have you ever heard of Berk?"


	3. Chapter Two: Jack

The sound of North cracking his knuckles reverberated throughout the entire North Pole. Tooth flittered around anxiously while Sandy's pictures danced around, entertaining the Yetis.

"Where is 'e?" Bunnymund impatiently tapped his foot against the ground. "Why do we always invite 'im if he's just gonna show up late?"

"We invite him because he's a guardian, Bunny. Being late is just a bad habit he has to work on, I guess." Tooth had a rambling tone to her voice. It was obvious to each of them she was excited. None of them had seen Jack Frost in a while. "He'll show up."

"Well, he better show up soon." North leaned against a control panel in the center of the room. "The Man in the Moon has a message for us. It's important."

"Yeah, well 'e better 'urry up an-" A snowball hit Bunnymund in the side of the head.

Jack smirked. "Miss me?"

"Jack!" Tooth smiled and Baby Tooth flew in circles around Jack's head happily.

"Nice of ya to join us, Frost." North grumbled, turning his attention the newly arrived guardian. "I thought we talked about this."

"I got held up. I promised Jaime I'd visit today." He patted Sandy on his head, several specks of glitter flying around him. "So, onto business. What are we doing here? Christmas is over, so it can't be we're picking up your slack again, North."

Bunnymund muttered something angrily under his breath. "Just because you don't have a major holiday…"

Tooth narrowed her eyes. "Now, now, boys, we've got real work to do."

North sent her a thankful nod. He turned towards the ancient stone in the middle of the room, and motioned for the ceiling to open. Everyone watched in silence as gentle moonbeams fell from the sky and cast a silvery glow across everything. Nothing was more beautiful, however, then the way to moon reacted to that stone. Swirling lights danced to make a picture, slowing forming a translucent image of a tall, dark figure.

Sandy covered his eyes, as if the image was too much for him. Tooth gasped in horror, and a grave face painted itself on the rest of the guardians.

Jack couldn't raise his voice above a whisper. "Pitch."

"The Man in the Moon has warned that our greatest enemy is once again on the move. So far, he has committed no great crime, but he has been picking up pace ever since crossing the kingdom of Arendelle. This leads me to believe that Pitch Black has found himself an accomplice." Each word North spoke grew darker than the last. They had all dealt with Pitch before, and this was no laughing matter.

"What makes you think he has an accomplice?" Bunnymund quirked an eyebrow. The old man was stretching his imagination a little too far.

"The Queen of Arendelle is missing. She was reported missing around the same time Pitch crossed into that kingdom. There is no doubt the Queen is with Pitch, whether by kidnapping or by choice." North sighed and looked at Jack with what could be interpreted as a pitiful expression. "Jack, I would like you to go to Arendelle. Talk to the Princess, ask her about her sister, offer an explanation of where she is."

It didn't take a detective to understand this was not Jack's ideal assignment. "So you're sending me to this place to just console the Queen's sister?"

"This is more of a…" North knew he had to choose his next words very carefully. "Special interest case. The Queen of Arendelle is known for having ice magic. Magic very similar to yours, Jack. Let's not forget how Pitch attempted to recruit you to his side last time. I believe he may have done the same to the Queen. If that is the case, perhaps someone gifted with the same magic as she would be the best to bring her back to the light. "

"She has powers like me?" Jack had never come across anyone with powers such as his. And he wasn't sure if he should be happy, or afraid. If someone with his powers was on Pitch's side, then what use was he? "Fine. I'll go to Arendelle, and I'll do my best to find the Queen."

"Thank you, Jack." North smiled.

"So, what's this 'Snow Queen's' name?"

North smiled again. "Elsa."

"Elsa," Jack whispered only to himself.

_Elsa. _


	4. Chapter Three: Merida

"This is an outrage!" King Fergus' booming voice echoed through the halls, shaking the castle. "How dare they accuse our greatest ally of kidnapping!"

Queen Elinor looked at her husband with sad eyes, but brightened them considerably as she turned to her guests. "I'm sure all will be well. Just send word to Arendelle that you have not seen Queen Elsa, and that you mean her no harm."

"No!" Stoick's voice echoed just as harshly as Fergus'. "This is the final straw! I will not take any more abuse from those stiff, high-society nations! Our dragons are fully tamed and under our control, and each and every member of our village reports to me before they do anything drastic! If Elsa had been kidnapped, I would know about it!"

They were sitting in the grand hall belonging to King Fergus and Queen Elinor, the rulers of Dunbroch. Stoick, village chieftain of Berk, had brought news of accusation. Berk had been contacted by Princess Anna of Arendelle. That was cause enough for Berk and Dunbroch to have a meeting. However, the letter contained accusation of kidnap and betrayal. That was cause enough for war.

"Why don't we talk this through, Stoick." Queen Elinor pleaded. She knew both her husband and the chieftain to be quick to anger. "We'll figure something out."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure the people of Arendelle will just love to talk to them with their mangy dragons breathing all over the place; settin' everything on fire!"

"Merida!"

All eyes turned to the bright red hair splayed about wildly. Equipped with a bow in one hand, and an apple raised to her mouth with the other, Princess Merida of Dunbroch was the picture of femininity and ladylike grace. She had entered the room from behind, and next to her was a gangly boy with shaggy brown hair.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The boy next to her obviously did not take well to her comment. "Our dragons aren't mangy, they're our friends!"

"Yeah, you are all the picture of cleanliness, aren't ya?" She fired back, giving his shoulder a little shove to go with the verbal insult.

"Look who's talking! You can't even chew with your mouth closed!"

"Well, your name is Hiccup! I get those when I drink too much!"

The boy fell silent. He had only known this girl for an hour, and already she made him want to punch someone in the face. If only he had the upper body strength.

"Have fun on your tour?" Elinor tried to hold a smile. She should have known better than to let Merida give him the tour. If Dunbroch and Berk were to hold a lasting alliance, it was essential that the future leaders get along. This part didn't seem to be going very well.

"Yeah, ma, it was great." Merida made a final face at Hiccup before taking her place next to her mother.

Fortunately, this would be considered normal behavior in Berk, so Stoick thought nothing of the peculiar way his son and the princess were acting towards each other. If he was asked, he would've thought they were participating in friendly banter. "So, back onto the matter of war-"

"Oh, come on, dad." Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Not another one of your wars."

"I think I liked him better when he wasn't here." Fergus scowled. A citizen from Berk who didn't like war was like a citizen from Dunbroch who didn't like his bear stories. They simply didn't exist.

"I agree." Elinor smiled at Hiccup. "Perhaps war isn't the answer. Why don't I go to Arendelle as a representative, to assure them that both of our kingdoms are innocent."

"Go alone?" Fergus would not have it.

"You need to stay here to run the kingdom, dear. And I won't be alone." The Queen hesitated for a moment, something foreign to her. "I'll bring Merida."

"With all due respect, I can't just send you to represent both of our lands. Take my boy with you. He'll serve as an envoy." Stoick ushered Hiccup forward.

"Then it's settled. Merida, Hiccup, and I will go to Arendelle. We leave in the morning."


	5. Chapter Four: Kristoff

The Princess waved her hand. "Open up the gates."

A guard nodded, and signaled for his comrades to do the same. For a short while, the gates had remained open. They had been closed now for six consecutive days, ever since Queen Elsa had been discovered missing. Today, however, the castle was expected to receive a very special visitor.

"You seem really calm, Anna." His gruff voice whispered in her ear. Anna jumped and punched him lightly in the shoulder, all the while laughing.

"Don't scare me like that!" She grinned at him. Her mood had improved significantly in the past few days, her sadness into hope and her disbelief into determination. "But I am excited, I haven't seen her since the coronation!"

Kristoff rubbed his arm. He had forgotten scaring Anna always came with a price. "Well, I've never met her. Is she pretty?"

Her fiance received another punch in the arm. "Kristoff!"

"Kidding, kidding!" He raised his arms in surrender.

The pout that had taken over her features dissipated. "And anyway, she's married." She looked as if she was going to say something more, but at that moment a distant sound of wheels stole her attention. "They're here!"

Sure enough, it seemed a carriage was heading towards the castle, led by a magnificent white horse. Anna beamed with excitement, and she was bouncing on the balls of her feet, a sure sign she was trying to contain her emotion. The horse was fast, leaving Anna to endure only a few moments of hyperactive anxiety. The door of the carriage slammed open, and a bare foot found it's way out in the open before the rest of her body appeared.

"Anna!" A girl with shoulder length brown hair and expressive green eyes attacked the Princess of Arendelle with a vicious hug. "I missed you!"

Anna smiled. "I missed you too! You're hair has gotten really long!"

"Tell me about it." A tall man stepped out of the carriage next, with a small chameleon resting atop his brown hair. "I swear, Rapunzel is trying to grow that obnoxiously long hair back."

"Eugene! I am not!" The Queen of Corona pouted, a facial expression that made her look much like her younger cousin. "But you have to admit, it made a great adventuring tool."

"That's up for debate." The man flashed a devious smile, a look that suited him well. The chameleon on his head smiled as well, before jumping off and climbing on to Kristoff. The dark-haired man stick his hand out to Kristoff. "And you are?"

"Oh!" Anna giggled excitedly. "This is my fiance, Kristoff! Kristoff, this is my cousin Rapunzel, Queen of Corona. And that guy is her husband, Flynn- er, Eugene. Actually, I'm not really sure what to call him."

"His name is Eugene-"

The King interrupted his wife. "Flynn is fine." He shook Kristoff's hand, and scooped the chameleon from his head. "Sorry about Pascal, he's… difficult."

Kristoff nodded, but he couldn't help but stare at Anna and Rapunzel. The resemblance between them was uncanny. "How are you two related, again?"

"She's my cousin." Anna grinned proudly. "Our mothers were sisters. They were both born here in Arendelle, but my aunt Primrose married the young King of Corona and moved there. Mother stayed here, and married my father. Enough talk, though, let's go inside and start the search for Elsa!"

Rapunzel nodded and skipped forward, but Flynn grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. His previous look of mischief had been replaced by seriousness. "What about that ship we saw?"

"Oh, you're right." The Queen's face darkened. "Anna, we saw a ship when we were down by the docks earlier."

Kristoff smirked. "That's kind of where ships go."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "It wasn't just any ship, blondie. We saw an enemy ship, bearing the flag of Dunbroch."

* * *

A/N: If you've stuck with me thus far, I hope that means you like the story :) However, I plan to progress the story very soon and get down to the heart of the adventure. Before I do this, I'd like your input. _**On my profile is a link for a poll asking for which pairings/shippings you support.**_ I don't plan to have this story revolve around romance, but the pairings I decide to use will ultimately decide the outcome of the story. As is with any good story, it should be centered on what the fans want! So if you have time to take this quick little survey just click on my profile. I'd greatly appreciate it!


	6. Chapter Five: Elsa

Ever since she had left Arendelle, she had been running. This time was different, however. She didn't know where she was running too. The Queen of Arendelle was tired, but that wasn't what was bothering her. As of right now, she was alone. Already he had broken his promise to her. She had hoped this time would be different. But she was foolish to think so. This man had promised her love, friendship, power, and freedom. But she barely knew anything about him while he seemed to know quite a lot about her. Memories of their meeting danced behind her half-lidded eyes as she struggled to hold onto the promises he had made her.

_"You don't have to be alone, Elsa." _

_As he stepped out of the shadows, her fear intensified. "Who are you?" This man was tall and dark; a dangerous aura surrounding him. "What do you want with me?" _

_"Why, I simply want the same thing you desire. A friend. Someone who understands me, someone who I can understand in return." _

_"And what makes you think you can understand me? You don't know anything about me!" Elsa was scared. The fear wasn't of the man, though, it was of the words he spoke. _

_He smiled bitterly. "I know a lot about you. You're a Queen. You have a younger sister, no parents. You're afraid to love her, to be near her. You're afraid of a lot of things, my Queen." _

_"How do you know all this?" _

_"There is one thing I always know, Elsa." _

_She hesitated, but decided she couldn't let her fear show. Don't let it show. "And what is that?" _

_"People's greatest fears." _

_She furrowed her delicate brows. "What are you?" _

_"My name is Pitch Black. Some call me the Boogeyman. If I am correct, you have come to know me by the name of Busemann. Others call me the devil." _

_The control over her fear she has been trying so hard to keep vanished. "The… the devil?" _

_A light smirk appeared on his face. "Just because I've been called that doesn't mean that I am that. I know you've been called a monster, and I don't believe that's what you are. Though based on your recent actions, I'm not so sure." _

_"Don't talk about that. It was an accident." _

_"Oh Elsa, we all have things we're ashamed of. That's why you need someone to help get you through. Someone who understands you. Someone like me." _

_"But you're evil! I'm not- I don't think… I'm not evil!" _

_"And neither am I. I'm criticized and feared for simply doing what I was made to do. Join me. Together we can do great things." _

_She was lost. His words were so tempting, and yet the look on his face told her to run from him. She needed a friend; someone who would understand her. "Leave me alone. I don't want to hurt you." _

_"Don't you see?" He laughed softly. "You can't hurt me. I cannot die."_

And just like that, she was following the shadows. They led her to him, and together they would be great. She had found her friend- her crutch, her ally. They could live together in peace and the Queen would never be afraid of hurting anyone again. Not Anna, not her people, no one.

"Well, I see you've made it here safely."

"Pitch!" Her previous doubts of the dark man were no longer visible in her eyes. "Where exactly is here?"

He swept his eyes across the field. "My lair. Well, the entrance to it. You must be tired. Unfortunately, we have no time to rest."

"But I just got here."

Once again a smirk dusted his lips. "Yes, I realize this. However, I'm afraid we're being followed."


End file.
